Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent privately disparaged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and urged President Donald Trump not to host him at the White House, according to a forthcoming book by New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan.

Explosive Claims Surface Ahead Of Book Launch

The book, Regime Change, set for worldwide release Tuesday, alleges Bessent told associates, "I've dealt with this little f*****. He's tricky. He's like the special-needs child for the Europeans. And he's acting like Mr Bean on crack," The Guardian reported on Saturday. Bessent reportedly pushed Trump to withhold an Oval Office invitation until Zelenskyy signed a minerals deal he had drafted.

The meeting went ahead on Feb. 28, 2025, and turned contentious, with Trump and Vice President JD Vance criticizing Zelenskyy over gratitude for U.S. aid and his attire. The U.S. President later canceled a planned joint news conference and wrote on Truth Social that Zelenskyy was "not ready for peace."

According to the report, the book also describes a tense Kyiv visit where Bessent and Zelenskyy clashed for 45 minutes over deal terms. Negotiations reportedly stalled further amid disagreements between Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

At this week's G7 summit in France, Trump joined a pledge backing Ukraine's sovereignty and tightening sanctions on Russia's energy sector, with Washington signaling openness to reinstating oil sanctions.

A Striking Comparison

The Guardian reports that, according to the book, perhaps most embarrassing for Bessent is his comparison of President Trump to George Soros, his former boss and a major Democratic donor often portrayed as a villain by the political right. Bessent reportedly told associates that Trump reminded him of Soros, saying, "They are the same animal."